2017 Value Partnerships Annual Report

News and Releases

Even as hospitals try to cut back on prescribing fluoroquinolones — powerful but risky antibiotics — a new study shows that many patients still head home with prescriptions for those same drugs, increasing their risk of everything from “superbug” infections to torn tendons.

The rate of surgical site infections in colectomy patients decreased as hospitals implemented three specific care measures promoted by the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative, according to a study funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

How many prescription pain pills should a patient receive after breast cancer surgery? Or hernia repair? Or gallbladder removal?
With the country facing an epidemic of opioid pain medication abuse, the answer should be simple: just enough to ease immediate post-surgery pain.
But surgical teams have lacked an evidence-based guide, or even rules of thumb, to help them gauge this amount.
Until now.